Delis are one of the fastest growing restaurants in the country, but many locals have noticed that the meat they buy is often made from the carcass of a dog.
So far, that hasn’t stopped some from trying to improve on the tradition by adding some flavor and texture to their meats.
Here’s how to make a dish that will please your taste buds and impress your guests.
1.
Meat: In order to prepare a dish, you must first decide what kind of meat you want to use.
“The first step is determining what kind you want.
It can be pork, lamb, chicken, beef, goat, mutton, lamb chops, or lamb breasts.
For instance, if I want to roast lamb chops I can use pork loin.
I could use beef, mutter pork, or any other meat that will add a lot of flavor to the dish,” said Raul Salinas, owner of El Comercio deli in San Jose.
In some cases, meat cuts will be trimmed to remove any fat or lumps.
“You don’t want a large piece of meat that has fat, but you don’t have to remove the fat.
It’s okay to have the fat if you are not using it,” Salinas said.
The meat should be cooked to a tender, medium-rare quality.
For those looking for a more tender option, Salinas will prepare a special blend of lamb, beef and mutton called a de-gutero.
“I make a de-, g-tender blend with lamb, goat and mutter.
I will use a mix of the beef, lamb and mutt to make the meat tender.
I do it this way because I don’t know how to cook the lamb,” he said.
2.
Broth: The next step is to cook your meat, add the broth and seasonings.
“To add the meat, I add some water and mix with some sugar.
I add more sugar to it if I’m making the broth more flavorful,” Salas said.
3.
Broil: Broil the meat.
“Then, I put the broth in a pan with a little bit of water.
When the water is boiling, I pour it on the meat and turn it over and cook until it is cooked through.
I cook the meat on the stovetop for a few minutes.
It takes a few hours to cook through,” he explained.
4.
Serve: Next, add some of the broth to the plate.
“After the meat is cooked, I serve it with some fresh vegetables, a salad, or even a salad of some kind.
I’ll serve it warm.
For the salad, I’ll use some fresh cucumber and tomato.
I can serve it cold or warm,” Salasa said.
For a more traditional dish, Salas will make a special sauce.
“When I make the sauce, I will add salt and pepper to it.
The salt will make the dish more spicy.
The pepper adds some spice and flavor to my dish,” he added.